Upon hearing Huang's reply, Zhao Changgeng's shoulders slumped instantly. Fine. He'd have to continue attending the private school.

He prayed in his heart, "I beseech all the gods and Buddhas to bless me so that I may pass the preliminary examination this time."

If the gods and Buddhas could hear his prayers, they would surely kick him away.

"What kind of thing is this? All it thinks about is protecting you, but it doesn't even offer incense or kowtow, let alone grant you a wish. Even gods need offerings, you know?"

The family chatted and laughed as they returned home.

Xu Ruonan left the examination hall and went straight to the inn she had booked, immediately asking for hot water to take a shower.

At this point, he no longer cared about the waiter's surprised look.

Lying in the bathtub, Xu Ruonan closed her eyes and began to think about what she should do next.

As for being so frightened by Zhao Qianci that she fainted, Xu Ruonan felt that she had been inexplicably angry after calming down.

They didn't offend him; he was just scared by his own imagination. Can he blame them for being ugly?

In fact, Zhao Qianci, the old man, looks quite kind.

Having failed the exam, he will face the prospect of dividing the family property upon returning home. As someone who is unable to carry heavy loads, how he will survive is a major problem.

Raising her hand, Xu Ruonan saw her long, slender hands with distinct knuckles and felt very unwilling.

With a casual movement of her fingers, Xu Ruonan realized her advantages.

Regardless, my handwriting is quite good. There are many bookstores and study shops in the prefectural city, so I might as well find a job copying books.

If the income is decent, it's better to rent a cheaper house here, copy books and read books at the same time, and skip the private school.

I'll take the test again next year, and I refuse to believe I'll be nervous every time.

In a few breaths, Xu Ruonan had made plans for her life. She was also an impulsive person.

After Duan finished proctoring the exam, he immediately retrieved the case file of the kidnapper.

Considering that Shuntong's search for melons might uncover a huge one, one that could explode at the slightest touch, he picked up his pen and wrote a letter to his mentor in Beijing, requesting advice.

Zhao Qingyan's request for a reward, relayed by Zhang Rong, also reached Lord Duan's ears.

With a flourish of his pen, he gave Zhao Qingyan one hundred taels of silver as a reward.

The next day, everyone in the Zhao family woke up late. The reason, of course, was the relaxation that followed the tension.

I had just finished breakfast, which wasn't early at all, when I heard a knock on the door.

Zhao Qingshan went to open the door. Qingbei originally wanted to open the door, but then she remembered what her sister had told her about the various tricks kidnappers use last night, the first of which was that children should not open the door.

Suppressing the flickering curiosity in her heart, she peeked out and followed behind her cousin.

When Zhang Rong saw the handsome Zhao Qingshan, he was taken aback for a moment. Then he realized that this must be Zhao Qingyan's brother, so he explained his purpose.

Zhao Qingshan invited Zhang Rong into the living room.

Upon entering the room, Zhang Rong was somewhat bewildered. His first thought was whether Zhao Qingyan had been a victim of kidnapping and revenge, as the room was filled with men.

But seeing Zhao Qingyan's radiant smile, he felt relieved.

He personally handed the reward given by the adult to Zhao Qingyan, who accepted it without ceremony, opening her purse and taking out the silver notes.

Ten taels each, ten in total.

Zhao Qingyan expressed her satisfaction.

"Officer Zhang, you've worked hard today. I told you before that I would treat you to drinks after my father and brothers take their exams."

"There's no time like the present; why don't we have Officer Zhang eat at my house today? I'll go prepare the food and wine right away."

When Constable Zhang saw the room full of men, his paranoia kicked in again, fearing that they had drugged him.

Seeing that Constable Zhang genuinely refused, and not wanting to persuade him to stay, Zhao Qianci, as the head of the family, spoke up.

"Well then, since Officer Zhang has things to do, let's call it a day."

"Once the results of the preliminary imperial examinations are released, if anyone in my family passes, we will prepare a feast, and we welcome Officer Zhang to come and enjoy it."

Zhang Rong's heart stirred; a question arose in his mind, and wanting to understand it, he asked,

"May I ask, sir, how many members of the Zhao family participated in the preliminary imperial examination?"

Zhao Qianci stroked his beard and laughed heartily, "All the men in this living room participated."

Zhang Rong...

After seeing off the dazed Zhang Rong, Zhao Qingyan waved her hand and said, "I made money today, so let's eat something delicious."

Initially skeptical of child abduction, little Zhao Qingni clutched her heart as she looked at the silver notes in her sister's hand.

"Sister, please tell me more about how to avoid being abducted or scammed. A child like me could easily be targeted by bad people if I go out alone."

Zhao Qingyan is now relieved; it's good that the child knows fear.

Otherwise, if they run away one day and are targeted by kidnappers, not to mention in this era, even in future generations with surveillance everywhere, the child will not be found if they are lost.

The Zhao Family's Anti-Trafficking and Anti-Fraud Mini-Lesson has begun.

When Zhang Rong returned to report, he brought up the small copybook.

"Well, regarding that notebook, even if we check the notes and find out who it belongs to, we can't convict them, since they didn't bring it into the exam room."

At most, they just had the intention to plagiarize.

Zhang Rong knew this was the case, and before leaving, he added a comment.

"After you have checked the notes, could you please tell me who lost the notebook?"

Lord Duan was quite puzzled. Zhang Rong was usually a man of few words, so why was he so concerned about this matter today?

Sensing the adult's question, Zhang Rong quickly replied,

"Your Excellency may not know this, but that booklet was also found by the young lady of the Zhao family."

The days without having to worry were so relaxing. In the few days of waiting for the results, the Zhao family thoroughly inspected the house from the inside out, from the ground to the roof.

They've done what needed fixing and blocked what needed blocking, but they still haven't found the reason why there are snakes in the main house.

Zhao Qingyan even banged on the wall countless times, and even considered tearing it down.

This time, the Zhao family got their snake-repelling powder from Renjitang. They explained the situation to the shopkeeper, and the doctor prescribed what was supposedly an enhanced version.

As for how effective it was, the Zhao family didn't know, but they were quite clear that they had spent a lot of money.

On the day the results are announced, the area in front of the prefectural government office will surely be packed with people, making it unsuitable for the old and young to go.

Zhao Minggeng, who was tall, had long legs, and possessed superhuman strength, became the first choice.

A large crowd had gathered at the entrance of the prefectural government office early in the morning.

There were test takers and their families, but most were just bystanders watching the spectacle.

Fortunately, it was just a preliminary examination for elementary school students. If it were the provincial examination, there would probably be people trying to find a husband for their children.

As the gong sounded, a group of yamen runners filed out, and two runners carrying notices quickly came into view.

As the notices were posted and read aloud, Zhao Minggeng looked at them from front to back and quickly found the names of his own people.

Zhao Qianci, without a doubt, as the oldest candidate in the preliminary examination, achieved first place. Zhao Yonggeng ranked fourth, and Zhao Minggeng seventh.

Zhao Qingyang is eighth, and Zhao Qingshan is tenth.

The rest of the Zhao family failed the exam.